UNILAG VC’s Job: The Candidates, The Intrigues

Unilag’s process of choosing a Vice Chancellor requires stringent conditions though, politics and intrigues are part, too.

Many months after the University of Lagos, Unilag, made the headlines over its sudden re-naming by President Goodluck Jonathan and the hoopla that accompanied the action, another issue of interest has, again, put the institution in public domain.

This time, the heat is on the university’s Governing Council, its highest administrative organ, which is presently in the search of a new Vice Chancellor to run the affairs of the school. The last time such exercise was conducted was three years ago when Professor Babatunde Sofoluwe was appointed successor to Professor Tolu Odugbemi.

Sofoluwe’s tenure as VC had hardly made an impact when he suddenly slumped after a cardiac arrest during a meeting at the Council’s Chambers of the university. The void his death would have created was quickly filled with the elevation of the Deputy VC in charge of Management Services, Professor Rahman Ade Bello, as acting VC. According to the university’s guidelines, interim appointment to the office of VC could only last six months, after which a process of making a substantive appointment would commence.

The significance of the VC’s office has always elicited various interests within and outside the academic environment. And in many institutions, the process is often characterised by deep politics, changing alignment and re-alignment of interests as well as subterfuge. This scenario is currently playing out at Unilag, albeit in a quiet, civilised and mild manner. The situation heightened last week with the shortlisting of seven eligible candidates, among the many who had applied for the job. The nominated candidates are Professors Rahman Bello, the acting VC; Babajide Alo, current Deputy VC (Academics); Dele Olowokudejo; Duro Ajeyalemi; Toyin Ogundipe and Tunde Makanju.

Undoubtedly, all the listed candidates are eminently qualified and have served, some still serving, the university in various capacities. Aside Bello and Alo, Olowokudejo had been Dean, Students Affairs during Ibidapo-Obe’s administration, while Ajeyalemi held similar office and, later, Dean, Faculty of Education, when late Professor Jelili Omotola held sway as VC.

Ogundipe, on his part, was a former dean of the Post Graduate School,  a sitting Governing Council member and Director, Academic Planning Unit. Mankaju has equally made his mark within the university’s administrative structure, having served as dean, Faculty of Social Sciences. Were managerial experience the only criterion for the selection process, it would definitely be an uphill task for the Council to decide based on the positions they have all held both in the past and present. With an institution the stature of Unilag, the Council is expected to search for a suitable candidate using a fine tooth-comb. One of the major decisive factors the Council has said it would consider is a 10-year post-professorial appointment in any of the disciplines offered by the university. It believes that a professor of ten years and above without supervision from a higher authority or persons would have garnered requisite knowledge, experience, outlook, exposure and managerial acumen, among other things to lead the 50-year university. More importantly, the potential VC must “demonstrate astute managerial ability to maintain peace and academic stability”.  He is expected to possess “strong character, ability to give courageous and effective leadership, a scholar of outstanding national and international repute, with proficiency in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and considerable experience at top levels of university administration”.

Even though,  the aforementioned are the prerequisites the candidate must charm the Council’s “Shortlist Committee” with,  it is not all that is needed to lead Unilag. Of importance to the Council,  stakeholders, including the Academic and non-Academic Unions and the students, is the  moral texture and integrity  the bearer would  bring to office. In an advertorial posted on  the university’s website, the Council stressed that such candidate must have  “unassailable integrity and strong moral character for inspiring and maintaining moral discipline among staff and student”.  There are no misgivings that the Council must have considered the consequence of doing otherwise on staff moral and institution of strong discipline within the staff and student body.

According to the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Unilag Chapter, Dr. Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, the emerging VC must be one with great intellect, erudition and with international exposure that would facilitate greater developments in the institution. The issue of integrity matters greatly to him, too. “I believe the Council would have considered all those factors before shortlisting the candidates. Unlike in the past when Abuja (Federal Government) decided who emerged VC, it a plays very minimal role now. If they fail to appoint somebody with integrity and good character, then they will be appointing crisis,” he averred.

Investigations revealed that there may be more on the issue of integrity than meets the eye. For instance, a highly placed source in the Council told P.M.NEWS that the Council would be attracting a moral odium if it failed to do the needful on the matter. The source challenged the Pro-Chancellor, Mr. Gamaliel Onosode “to prove his sterling public record by putting his foot down on the integrity records of the candidates”.  She added: “The Council by its own admittance said that it failed to screen the candidates previously on integrity because of time. We do not expect anything less, hence it would be viewed as a ploy by the Onosode-led Council to cover-up.”

A former aspirant for the job, who said he did not want his name in print for fear of a backlash from his colleagues said the Council must consider that the lecturers are acting in loco parentis and should be seen to be above board.

“The University is the final stage of modelling a child for life and future challenges and they have a tendency to mirror their teachers, who act as parents on behalf of their real parents. So, it is important that we give them someone who can have their trust, respect and confidence.

“Besides, President Jonathan has given the Councils the opportunity to sanitise the  university education system by freely appointing their own VCs, so the irreducible minimum we are required to do, is to do what is right for ourselves. As agents of government at that level, we would be mischievous to accuse the politicians of corruption if we allow such to thrive among us”.

It was gathered that there are power-groups within Unilag’s hierarchy, with each of them making last minute efforts to see its favoured candidate emerge.  But a Professor of Medicine and Council member rebutted a cover-up on any issue.

“Such allegations are hogwash and mere politics. Why did anyone not raise such issues before now. You must understand that the university is a community where various interests and forces determine the allocation of resources, intellectually, materially and administratively, as laid down by its own rules.

Although it is a microcosm of the larger society, and as social animals we are all political; people must learn to respect institutions rather than cast aspersions unnecessarily. Unilag will certainly consider the integrity of all the candidates when it is about to make the final pick,” he said.

—FOLA ADEMOSU